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As Salon's new Washington bureau chief and the author of this story, I want to say a few words about the use of anonymous sources in political stories. In an ideal world, I wish everyone would speak on the record and I repeatedly encourage the people I interview to do so. But often, as in this story, the only way to convey what is actually being said in political circles is to mask the identity of the speaker. I find this approach to be far more honest and helpful to readers than merely repeating the kind of on-the-record partisan soundbites that you hear constantly on cable TV. Some may disagree with my journalistic philosophy in this area, which is why I probably will say more on this topic in the months ahead.
